Workstations
Entry-level
Best entry level workstation: AMD’s Phenom II
While Intel dominates the workstation sector, AMD’s Phenom II X4 Quad Core processor offers plenty of “bang-for-buck”, for want of a less clichéd recommendation. The 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 925 at the heart of this back-to-basics workstation offers incredible performance for a machine that at time of reviewcost just over £700.
www.xworksinteractive.com
Read the full review here
Special mention
Workstation Specialists WS1400
Excellent price/performance with Intel’s Core i5 processor
www.workstationspecialists.com
Read the full review here
Performance CAD
Workstation Specialists WSX114
Best performance CAD workstation: WSX114
At time of review we called this the ‘ultimate mid-range CAD machine’, but in hindsight this overclocked beast is probably better described as ‘performance CAD’. With an Intel Core i7 processor running at 4.0GHz most mainstream workstations can’t touch it when it comes to raw CAD performance, and for this alone we can forgive the fact that it’s not as quiet as other WS’ machines.
www.workstationspecialists.com
Read the full review here
Mid range
Best mid-range workstation:Scan 3XS X58
If you forget, for a minute, the overly elaborate hard drive system, then this mid-range workstation is an excellent all-round CAD workstation. Some clever overclocking means you get a 3.2GHz Core i7 processor for the price of a 2.66GHz model and this is backed up with 6GB RAM and an Nvidia Quadro FX 1800 graphics card.
www.xworksinteractive.com
Read the full review here
Special mention
Lenovo ThinkStation S20
Solid, well built CAD/CAM workstation
www.lenovo.com
Read the full review here
High-end
Best high end workstation: HP Z800
HP completely re-thought the desktop workstation when designing the Z800 and it’s in a league of its own when it comes to quality of build and ease of serviceability. With two Intel Xeon 5500 processors at the heart and a maximum capacity of 192GB RAM it’s also a powerhouse for multithreaded CAE, CAM and rendering applications, but this level of quality doesn’t come cheap.
www.hp.com
Read the full review here
Professional graphics cards
Entry level
Best professional graphics card: Ati FirePro V3750
It feels a little wrong to brand AMD’s ATI Fire Pro V3750 as an entrylevel graphics card as the 256MB board has enough power to satisfy most mid-range 3D CAD users. But the price tag of £109 doesn’t lie, and means it offers exceptional value for money.
www.ati.amd.com
Read the full review here
Mid-range
Best mid-range GPU: Nvidia Quadro FX 1800
Representing a marked improvement over its predecessor, the Quadro FX 1700, this card is an excellent all round card for CAD. Under SolidWorks and 3ds Max it delivers some impressive scores and with 768MB of memory plenty of capacity for shaders and geometry.
www.pny-europe.com
Read the full review here
Special mention
AMD ATI FirePro V5700
Close competition to the FX1800 and also less expensive.
www.ati.amd.com
Read the full review here
Mobile workstations
Laptop
Best laptop: Lenovo W500
Powerful enough for a desktop replacement for mainstream CAD, the ThinkPad W500, with its 15-inch screen, still retains its portability and is ideal for an everyday laptop. It sports all the classic ThinkPad features, such as the ThinkLight, trackpoint and an integrated WWAN module, plus it’s nice and solid and built to take knocks.
www.lenovo.com/thinkpad
Read the full review here
Desktop replacement
Best desktop replacement: Dell M6400
For true desktop performance in a mobile workstation, albeit a pretty hefty one, Dell has all bases covered with the M6400. Its four DIMM slots make it stand out from the competition and mean it can have 8GB RAM without costing the earth. With its sleek lines and aluminium chassis it also looks the part, but it’s let down a little by its springy keyboard.
www.dell.co.uk/precision
Read the full review here
Input devices
Best input device: 3D Connexion SpacePilot Pro
When it comes to manipulating models on screen, the SpacePilot Pro provides ultimate control for a wide range of 3D applications. The new colour LCD screen displays a series of context-sensitive shortcuts, which change according to the modelling task at hand, and the surrounding buttons provide easy access to keyboard shortcuts and preset views.
www.3dconnexion.com
Read the full review here
